Here’s some more career advice from the book Quiet by Susan Cain.

Maybe you have these kinds of conversations you have in your head:  I can’t believe he/she is working at (fill in the blank  _____).  I would love to be doing (fill in the blank  _____________).  Pay attention to your jealousy because it contains an element of truth.  Often we are envious of those who have taken great risk or followed their own paths when choosing a career.  It could be that we are jealous of the work itself, the situation surrounding the work, or the freedom of choosing the work.

Cain suggests paying attention to job jealousy or those jobs you wish with all your heart you could have.  Although she writes with a focus on introversion, this advice rings true for all of us: when we are envious of others, it may be because deep desires within us are moving us to make changes in our current situation.

Marlayne Whitlock, M.A., LAPC

mwhitlock@ GROWcounseling.com